50 University of Missouri operations jobs to be cut

COLUMBIA (AP) — The University of Missouri department tasked with cleaning, maintaining and fixing buildings on the Columbia campus is eliminating 50 jobs.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the move involving MU Operations comes a month after university administrators announced they were cutting spending by 5 percent and putting a hiring freeze in place. That's to address an anticipated $32 million budget gap for the fiscal year that starts in July.

The cuts do not include campus police or the school's environmental health and safety department.

Gary Ward is the campus' vice chancellor for operations and chief operating officer. He says in a memo to staff that the spending cuts will leave MU Operations unable to sustain current service levels.